Pros

Cons

Bass response could be stronger. Single-button design limits control options.

Bottom Line

The Jaybird Run are comfortable, workout-friendly true wireless earphones with clear sound quality that could use just a little more bass response.

14 Sep 2017Will Greenwald

Jaybird's first attempt at true wireless earphones, the Jaybird Run, are one of the better pairs we've worn. And as the newest entry in a developing category, they feel fairly mature. The earphones boast relatively good battery life (aided by a fast-charging battery case), a workout-friendly sweatproof design, and a crisp, clean sound. At $179.99 they're a bit pricey, and bass response could be stronger, but they're still solid performers worth your consideration if you're looking to completely do away with wires.

Design

The earphones are available in black or white versions, but that color choice is limited to the wide, flat caps on the back of each earpiece; both sets are mostly black in color. The caps bear silver-colored Jaybird logos and are framed with silver rings that hold the wireless antennas.

The lower half of each cap can be pressed like a button, providing the only physical controls. The left earpiece activates Google Assistant or Siri on your connected device, while the right earpiece can play/pause/answer calls with one tap or skip tracks forward with two taps. If you want to rewind your music or adjust the volume, you'll need to use your phone. You can use the free Jaybird mobile app (for Android and iOS) to set the buttons to adjust volume, but then you'll need to use your phone to control music playback, so there's no single solution with the buttons.

The earpieces use a combination of silicone eartips and fins for a secure fit in your ear. Four sets of fins and three pairs of eartips in various sizes are included to accommodate for different ear sizes. Once I found the right set of eartip and fin, the earphones rested securely in my ear without any wiggling or pinching. They're a bit bulky compared with the Apple AirPods, but they sit comfortably without jutting out in any direction.

As the name implies, the Jaybird Run earphones are designed for working out. They're sweatproof and can be rinsed off if desired. The secure fit also helps at the gym; I wore them on a few jogs, and they never shook loose. Beyond the rugged design, however, there are no fitness features like the heart rate monitoring you get with the Samsung Gear IconX.

Charging Case and Battery Life

Jaybird includes an unassuming, pill-shaped charging case. It pops open with the push of a button to reveal two molded compartments for the earphones. The left and right sides are distinct, and can be easily oriented to fit based on the fin placement. When the case is closed with a secure click, up to three lights on the front appear to indicate the case's battery status and if the earpieces are inside and charging.

Battery life has been one of the biggest problems with wire-free earphones. The Jaybird Run can't compete with a conventional set of wireless earphones, but they can last a decent amount of time, and charge very quickly in the included case. According to Jaybird, the Run can last for up to four hours of playback, and the battery in the charging case can add another two full charges, for a total of twelve hours of playback time before everything has to be charged again. That number of course depends on how loud you play your music; listening at near full volume, the Run lasted well over three hours of active playback before giving up.

A quick-charge feature lets you get an hour of listening time with a five-minute charge, and this in fact seems conservative: Popping the completely drained earphones in the charging case on my way home (for about 20 minutes) powered them up to around 80 percent capacity, which was more than enough for a couple of workouts. Axigo claims its AH-T1 wire-free earphones can last up to eight hours, but that's based on playing music at only half-volume, and the AH-T1 lack a charging case for quickly topping them off when not in use (which is understandable given their $50 price tag). The excellent JLab Epic Air are closer in price to the Run, and have a stated seven-hour battery life.

The Jaybird app lets you keep track of the battery life of each earphone and adjust EQ settings. You can use Flat or Signature EQ presets, access a variety of others shared online, or customize your own with a five-band EQ.

Performance

Like many wire-free earphones, the Jaybird Run simply don't sound as powerful as wired earphones, or even wireless earphones that connect the two earpieces (and can often have more power behind them since the battery driving them is separate from each earpiece). Still, sound quality is very good at high volume levels, providing enough power for a pleasant listening experience on a crowded train. However, you can't really push it past that. Ideally, earphones get quite loud at maximum volume, so you can listen comfortably at a lower level and have room to adjust.

You won't get super-thumpy, subwoofer-like bass response with the Jaybird Run, but the earphones still handle low-end very well. They tackled the kick drum hits and synth bass notes of our bass test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout," without a hint of distortion at top volume. The thumps aren't overwhelming or dangerously loud at top volume levels even in bass-focused EQ presets, but their presence is still made known.

Crystal Method's "Busy Child" shows off both how capable the Run can be when handling a dense, mix, and how much the EQ presets can help. The default Flat response leaves the opening bassline sounding a bit thin, and keeps the fast, punchy drumbeat from energizing the track once it kicks in. Switching to the Signature EQ setting, however, boosts the lows and low-mids and really breathes life into the track. The bass drum hits won't shake your head, but they have enough presence and mesh with the rapid high-hat to bring the entire track together without disappearing against the synth sweeps or overpowering the spoken vocals. The high-mids and highs get a bit of sculpting to complement the lows, producing an exciting sound that isn't dull or hollow.

Yes' "Roundabout" shows similarly solid audio quality with the Signature EQ preset. The acoustic guitar plucks of the opening have loads of texture thanks to good high-mid and high frequency response, and the bassline gets enough low-mid presence to add some punch to the mix, even without being able to reach into the deep low frequencies for rumbling force. Vocals can be heard clearly, though they aren't quite as prominent as they sometimes are on other pairs.

Conclusions

Jaybird's Run earphones are a strong first attempt at the wire-free category. They're comfortable, gym-ready, and sound very good even though we'd like a little more low-end. That said, JLab's Epic Air earphones win out in both sound quality and battery life, for $30 less, and stand out as our Editors' Choice in the category. And if having a wire between the two earpieces isn't a deal breaker, you can get even better value with a typical wireless pair like Jaybird's own X3, which offer more powerful sound and double the battery life for $50 less.

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About the Author

Will Greenwald has been covering consumer technology for a decade, and has served on the editorial staffs of CNET.com, Sound & Vision, and Maximum PC. His work and analysis has been seen in GamePro, Tested.com, Geek.com, and several other publications. He currently covers consumer electronics in the PC Labs as the in-house home entertainment expert, reviewing TVs, media hubs, speakers, headphones, and gaming accessories. Will is also an ISF Level II-certified TV calibrator, which ensures the thoroughness and accuracy of all PCMag TV reviews. See Full Bio